LOWTON'S Gareth Glynn is fast making a name for himself in the ever-competitive world of motorcycle racing.

The 22-year-old racer is currently competing in the Virgin Mobile Yamaha R6 Cup and recently celebrated his first rostrum finish at Thruxton circuit - the fastest track in the UK.

The rising star, who currently lies in fifth place in the overall standings, has gradually been improving on his results and was elated with his second place finish.

"It was brilliant get a second at Thruxton. I qualified on pole but was unfortunate not to get the hole shot into the first corner. I went back to fourth at one point but managed to make it up and grab second place on the penultimate lap."

Last week at Brands Hatch, Glynn look set make another visit to the rostrum, qualifying on the front row in fourth, but was suffering with flu and was not in the best of health.

"Brands was hard work. I had the flu and I really didn't feel on form. It's very physical racing bikes and you need to be 100 per cent fit. I was running with the front pack for part of the race but found myself becoming more tired as the race progressed. So given the circumstances I was pleased with the result. We are off to Scotland soon and I'm looking forward to doing well there."

Fans of motorcycle racing will soon be able to catch up with the on and off-track antics of the Virgin Mobile Yamaha R6 Cup and Gareth. The series is currently the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary and is due to be televised later in the year.

The winner of the series lands himself a place in the 2005 Virgin Mobile Yamaha British Superbike team.